Bigpoint and Unity Technologies announced on Tuesday that Battlestar Galactica Online will be released this Fall. The MMO (massively multiplayer online game) will debut on Syfy Channel's site first, as a 30-day exclusive, and will use browser-based 3-D software Unity. "We've always felt that Battlestar was the perfect IP for gaming. It's got all the elements that you would want: The various classes of characters, and weaponry, and ships, and dramatic storyline, and big worlds to play in," said Bill Kisper, the GM of the digital platforms group at Universal Partnerships and Licensing.

Players will be able to play as either humans or Cylons, in both ship combat sequences and away missions on planets. The developers are working closely with the production company at Universal that is behind the show, sharing sound and computer assets, and possibly more, "There will really be a link between the show and the game itself, with the characters and storyline. It's not just some starships flying around in orbit and we call it a Battlestar game," said Heiko Hubertz, CEO of Bigpoint. Details about what characters and stories from the show will be featured in the game will be forthcoming.

But can the game succeed in a market that feature both the recently launched Star Trek MMO and the coming Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO? Kisper said, "It's a crowded and competitive space. We're a little bit different because, while those are more of a traditional MMO with a box product and an on-going subscription, we are coming into the browser-based space. We thought that made sense for Battlestar Galactica because the fanbase for the show is quite broad and spans a number of different demographics. We wanted to make it more accessible."